Primary day: 5 things to watch

Today is the closest thing to a Super Tuesday this primary season, and the results of voting in six states will set the stage for some of November’s marquee races.

The Democrats’ best hopes for Senate pick-ups are in Kentucky, where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell faces a tea party-inspired primary challenge, and Georgia, where a crowded field of Republican candidates will be narrowed to a two-way runoff.

In Georgia, will the two most establishment-friendly candidates make it to a runoff?

David Perdue, a former Dollar General CEO, has led in the final polls of the race to succeed retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss, and he’s taken the brunt of attacks in recent days.

His No. 1 antagonist has been Rep. Jack Kingston, who is backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Both men are battling for a similar base of support as they seek to make the July 22 runoff, and a head-to-head matchup would most likely be very negative.

Karen Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, has tried to present herself as the more conservative alternative to Perdue and Kingston. She’s come under fire from two well-known social conservatives in the House, Phil Gingrey and Paul Broun, who have tried to stay in the hunt.

Because the open Senate seat drew three House members, there are competitive GOP primaries for their seats, each of which could also go to a runoff. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Atlanta-area Rep. Hank Johnson is facing a stiff challenge from a former DeKalb county sheriff.

In Oregon, how damaging is the Monica Wehby police report?

For months, Republicans have touted Portland neurosurgeon Monica Wehby as a dream recruit to take on freshman Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, who they think could be vulnerable because of his support for Obamacare in a state where implementation has been particularly disastrous.

Wehby faces primary opposition from the more conservative state Rep. Jason Conger but has been backed by national Republican figures such as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Recent polls showed her well ahead.

Then on Friday, POLITICO reported that Wehby’s ex-boyfriend last year accused her of “stalking” him, entering his home without his permission and “harassing” his employees. Both Wehby and her ex downplayed the incident, saying they are now on good terms.

On Monday, Wehby received another blow when The Oregonian reported that her ex-husband accused her through their 2007 divorce of “ongoing harassment.”

Wehby is likely to prevail because Oregon is an all-mail voting state, meaning that many of the ballots were already sent in before the news broke.

Oregon Republicans also are choosing a nominee to take on potentially vulnerable Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber. It’s a pretty deep-blue state, so Kitzhaber should probably be OK come November, despite the major problems with Oregon’s health exchange.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden also is poised to crush a primary challenger in the race for his House seat.